St Athan (Welsh: Sain Tathan) is a village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales.
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The English name is a corruption of the Welsh female Saint Tathan, described by Iolo Morgannwg as the daughter of the King of Gwent. The village and parish church is dedicated to St Tathan. There are two pubs in the village, the King's Cup and the Four Bells. There is also a skate park and two community centres, one of which holds a fun-day on a yearly basis. The village has a football team.
A large MOD unit, formerly RAF St Athan but now known as MOD St Athan, is located adjacent to the village. This unit is home to the Special Forces Support Group, the DSG large aircraft maintenance unit and an element of the Defence College of Electro-Mechanical Engineering. A large joint-service military academy is planned for construction beginning in 2009.
On 11 February 2009, two Air Experience Flights by the Air Training Corps departed RAF St Athan and collided in mid-air, killing two female Cadets. The pilots were also killed. Investigations are now underway,[1]